


Life Goes On

by UNITdaemon



Series: The Doctor-less UNIT au [1]
Category: Doctor Who (1963)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Gen, UNIT, the doctor-less unit au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-05
Updated: 2018-01-05
Packaged: 2019-02-28 20:42:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13279500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UNITdaemon/pseuds/UNITdaemon
Summary: "It had been a month since Sarah Jane Smith had last seen the Doctor. He had run off into his TARDIS, hell-bent on saving the world once more. At least, that’s what she thought at the time. But as the weeks dragged on with no sign of his return, Sarah began to think deeper into why he had left in such a hurry."A Doctor Who AU set in a world where the Doctor never returns from Metebelis 3 after the events of Planet of the Spiders.





	Life Goes On

**Author's Note:**

> Massive thanks to those who kindly offered to beta-read this fic: donmarcojuande, onlythegeste, and rubiscothegeek. Go check them out on Tumblr!
> 
> Doctor Who and it's characters belong to the BBC - I'm just here to write fic about it.

It had been a month since Sarah Jane Smith had last seen the Doctor. He had run off into his TARDIS, hell-bent on saving the world once more. At least, that’s what she thought at the time. But as the weeks dragged on with no sign of his return, Sarah began to think deeper into why he had left in such a hurry.

It wasn’t about saving the world - it never had been. Before he left, he seemed different. Almost as if he was scared, which had struck Sarah as odd. She’d seen the Doctor angry, she’d seen him excited, she’d seen him sad. But in all the time she’d known him, she’d never seen him scared. It was something K’anpo said that did it - “ _ Not all spiders sit on the back _ .” Those words changed the Doctor somehow, and whether it was for the better, Sarah still didn’t know.

She took it for granted that he would return. She remembered thinking, “ _ It’ll just be a quick trip. He’ll be back soon _ .” She had never been more wrong in her life. Yet for some reason she still held out hope that one day she’d see that blue box of his sitting in the corner of his lab. He would be leaning in the door frame, grinning like a madman, holding a hand out to her. She would take it without hesitation. 

Perhaps that was why she found herself visiting UNIT HQ so much these days. If there was one place the TARDIS would bring him, then surely it would be there. He’d lived there for so long. It was his home, for better or for worse. If he were to come back from Metebelis 3, he’d go back to where he belonged.

Sarah pulled up outside the HQ, her car sliding into what may as well be a reserved spot. Each time she visited - and that had been quite a few times now - the parking space was always open for her to take. She chuckled at the thought that they were so used to her being there that they had set aside certain things for her. Grabbing her handbag from the seat beside her, she hopped out of her little gold car and strolled around to the front entrance, hoping that maybe, just maybe, the Doctor might be waiting for her.

 

The Brigadier found Sarah sitting in the Doctor’s lab, as per usual. Her visits were becoming more and more regular, and she was becoming a familiar sight. He didn’t blame her - she’d mentioned her hope that the Doctor would return, and the Brigadier admitted to feeling it as well. Partly because UNIT needed a scientific adviser, and he wasn’t sure anyone would be able to follow in the Doctor’s footsteps.

But, most importantly, the Doctor was his friend. One of the closest friends he’d ever had, despite their near constant arguing. Deep down, the Brigadier always knew that the Doctor would swan off one day and never come back. It wasn’t like it would never happen. Only he didn’t think it would happen like this - not a word of goodbye or any sort of reason for his departure. 

His insecurities would have him believe that the Doctor never truly liked being on Earth, even when it seemed he had finally warmed up to it. That he couldn’t wait to leave, and the only thing keeping him around was obligation. He was quick to silence these thoughts, but that didn’t stop them from bubbling up occasionally.

He cleared his throat to get Sarah’s attention. “Good morning, Miss Smith.”

Sarah jumped a little. She couldn’t have noticed him come in. “Oh, hello. Have you come to check on him too?”

The Brigadier sighed. “I know it’s getting rather pointless, but it seems I can’t help it.”

“Pointless?” It seemed the thought of the Doctor never returning was something she’d buried, and she looked wounded as she spoke. “I can’t stand the thought of giving up on him.”

“You can’t understand why he just up and left?” he ventured, and Sarah nodded. “I wonder it myself, sometimes.”

“I just don’t know how life could be the same,” Sarah said, her eyes downcast. “I mean, he shows me all these wonderful things, alien planets and such. And he’s kind and wonderful and a little bit full of himself, but that’s more endearing than anything else. He gets you thinking you’ve got a good thing going and then just…” 

“Nothing.”

Sarah made no move to acknowledge him, but from the way her eyes welled up it seemed he was right on the mark. The Brigadier crossed the room and took up the stool beside her, fixing his gaze on the empty corner where the TARDIS once stood. The floor had gathered a thin layer of dust, marking the time machine’s resting place for five good years. He would give anything for that spot to be filled again. Five years was a long time, and it had allowed for a dependence on the Doctor to grow. 

When aliens came to invade, he was always a little scared - who wouldn’t be? But that fear would always subside when he saw the Doctor. “ _ Don’t worry, Alistair, _ ” he’d think to himself. “ _ The Doctor will sort it out in the end _ .” He always did, and it made the Brigadier’s life that much easier. But now he was gone, and the sense of security had crumbled. What would they do now? Without the Doctor there to guide him and his men, he would either do something pig-headed or give up entirely. He would fail.

“You know,” Sarah started, breaking the silence that had fallen between them. “I’ve been thinking, perhaps, that it’s time to move on.”

“You mean forget about the Doctor?”

Sarah spoke with a hint of fondness in her voice. “I don’t think anyone could forget about the Doctor. I mean just getting on with our lives. We’ve wasted a month sitting around and waiting for him, and it isn’t doing us any good.”

“Yes, I suppose you’re right.” And she really was. Everything inside him said to keep watching, he’ll arrive any day now. But common sense said otherwise - it was time to move on.

After giving him one last look of affection, Sarah hopped down from her stool. He had to hand it to her, she was strong. He hated thinking about it, but if it were him, he’d go on waiting. On the outside he’d be unaffected. He would lead his men and run UNIT just the same as always, not a hair out of place as he did so. Yet on the inside he’d always be waiting, wondering if he’d ever hear the groaning of the TARDIS in the distance. He’d never be able to let it go. 

Yet there was Sarah, getting over it just like that. Most likely, there was more going on in her head than she was giving away. Despite his reasonably short acquaintance with Miss Smith, they’d managed to form a strong bond. But it was as though her words had given him the push he needed.

She was almost out the door when the Brigadier called to her. “Miss Smith?”

She turned to look at him, eyes wide and inquisitive. “Hm?”

“I suppose this will be the last we see of you.”

For a moment she didn’t know how to react. But then a grin broke out, and it was about as wicked as the Doctor’s own. “I don’t think so, Brigadier. I can’t turn my back on you, not after what we’ve been through together. Besides, you’ll always let me know when there’s something strange to report on, won’t you?”

The Brigadier had to laugh at that. She was a working woman through and through. “You’ll know before anyone else.”

She gave an appreciative nod, then disappeared down the corridor, leaving the Brigadier alone in the lab. He glanced over to the TARDIS’ corner, feeling a little more used to the empty space. With a sigh, he stood and left the lab, shutting the door softly behind him.

 

Corporal Bell never had the closest relationship with the Doctor. Of course, she’d seen him around, tinkering in his lab or saving the day from the latest alien monster. They’d regarded each other in the hallways, and they’d chatted once or twice, but that was it. Yet despite her limited contact with him, even she could feel the weight of his absence. 

UNIT HQ was quieter. In the month since he’d vanished, there had been little to no alien activity. With nothing to do, UNIT HQ could almost be mistaken as deserted. Bell would be the first to admit she was getting restless, as it seemed that when the Doctor left, so did his enemies. Also, it was quiet in the sense that she couldn’t hear him anymore. She’d always been able to listen in on him singing or clattering about in his lab. She underestimated how strange it felt not to overhear him berating the Brigadier or some other poor scientist.

That wasn’t all. Her fellow soldiers had changed since he disappeared, and it was more profound than Bell expected. The ever unflappable Brigadier always seemed to be in a daze - whenever she talked to him he was never quite ‘with it’. It seemed as though he couldn’t get the Doctor out of his head. Bell had never known her commanding officer to be so distracted. She knew his relationship with the Doctor was a close one, and he’d known him longer than any of the other UNIT personnel. But she’d never understood just how deep their connection was, almost to the point of one being nothing without the other. She’d never seen anything quite like it.

Sergeant Benton was different too, although she’d spotted a change in him long before the Doctor went away. She’d noticed it after Captain Yates left under a cloud that Bell had never been privy to. Like the Brigadier, Benton was never quite there after that. He was more present than the Brigadier was, and there were days when it seemed he’d gone back to his normal, cheery self. But sometimes she’d just see him staring out into space with a sadness she’d never known in him. She imagined the Doctor leaving just made it worse.

Bell leaned back in her chair with a sigh. She always knew that forming close relationships within the military was never a good idea, and the reaction to the Doctor’s absence proved her point more than anything.

 

Coffee. It was the only thing that kept Benton together these days. 

The mess hall was empty, as was most of the building. He usually enjoyed the peace and quiet - it gave him time to think - but at that point, he didn’t really want to be alone with his thoughts. They were too muddled and confused. The coffee did manage to cut through that somewhat, but not enough.

“Penny for them?”

The voice amidst the quiet had Benton startled, and he turned to see Corporal Bell approaching the table. He had always liked Bell, so he was glad to see her.

“There’s not much to say,” he replied as Bell settled down beside him. Of course, he was lying through his teeth. Benton would give anything to have a good long chat to get his thoughts and feelings straight, but whenever it came to it he couldn’t quite muster up the words. Besides, he was just dependable old Sergeant Benton. He wasn’t supposed to be the one with problems.

“Right.” It was clear that Bell saw right through him, but he hoped she’d let it slide. She didn’t. “You know, I’ve never seen anyone look so deeply into their coffee as you were just then.”

Benton flushed a little. “Was I?”

“Would I have said it if you weren’t?” Bell responded with a cocked eyebrow. “Come on, out with it.”

He wanted to tell her everything. About the Doctor; about how empty his life was now that the aliens had stopped coming; about Mike… But he couldn’t. Whenever he tried, his mouth went dry, and the words he needed escaped him. Even with someone as close as the Brigadier, it was just impossible. 

Silence was all Bell needed to get the message. She laid a hand on his shoulder, and looked to him with kindness. “Well, if you ever feel like talking, you can always come to me, ok?”

Benton nodded. He appreciated her thoughtfulness, and it seemed that she really did want to help him. He just wasn’t sure if he was comfortable enough with her to be so open. They were on good terms, but they weren’t particularly close. Not enough for him to confide in her. 

There used to be one person he could always go to when his woes ran circles around him, and that was Captain Yates. The other man was so dependable, and they’d grown close in such a way that nothing was impossible to talk about. He was Benton’s rock, and he hoped that Mike had felt the same way about him. But it was impossible to confide in him now, especially when he was the very thing that had been bothering Benton for so long. He would never forget how it felt when he was looking down the barrel of Mike’s gun. Everything had felt so heavy, but at the same time he couldn’t feel anything at all. The man bearing that gun wasn’t the Mike he knew. His expression was too cold and detached to be the man he’d grown to love. Yet he was, and the shock of the experience had stuck with him ever since. He would still wake up every morning wishing it was a dream. But it never was.

Benton hadn’t noticed Bell leave; so when he pulled himself out of his thoughts he was surprised to find himself without company. Once again, Benton was alone.  

 

Mike was tired. So very tired. But he couldn’t sleep. No matter how his eyelids drooped and his head ached, when he laid his head on his pillow he stayed awake. Nothing he did helped, and he was sick of it. Sick of being so exhausted, sick of the thoughts that plagued him day and night - they were what kept him from rest.

So he sat on his bed in the middle of the night, his knees drawn up to his chest, staring blankly at the moon. Mike hated feeling this way - hollow, tired, guilty. The guilt was the worst part. Every day he thought about it, how he almost shot his closest friends while aiding some madcap scientists in their plot to revert the world to the prehistoric age. Their plan sounded ridiculous when he thought about it now. But it didn’t back then, when his mind was vulnerable to manipulation and he’d do anything to save the planet he thought was breaking. Operation Golden Age sounded like the most marvellous thing anyone had ever come up with. 

They roped him in, and all of a sudden Mike was willing to pull a gun his closest friends for the cause. All the love, all the happiness he’d found at UNIT… He was willing to throw that away. And what for? An idiotic plan that would never come to fruition. He replayed that scene over and over in his head, of him threatening to shoot the Brig, the Doctor, and Benton. 

Benton…

Mike squeezed his eyes shut, wiping away the tears as soon as they fell. How could he do that to the man he loved with everything he had? The look on the Sergeant’s face as Mike threatened his life still haunted him, and having to remember it every day was punishment enough. 

He still loved John Benton. He always would. But he’d screwed everything up now - nothing would ever be the same. Benton probably hated him. Probably wanted him dead.

Mike didn’t blame John one bit. Sometimes he wanted Mike Yates dead too.

 

Liz’s life had been good since she left UNIT. The comfort of Cambridge had been welcome after her time with the Doctor. It was nice to feel safe again, to not feel like there was some monster or rogue scientist out to get her. The freedom was almost liberating. 

When she was working at UNIT, she had forgotten the pleasures of a quiet night in. For Liz, there was nothing quite like bundling up in her dressing gown, opening a nice bottle of wine, and settling in for some quality time with her research papers. She never got to do that with the Doctor. It seemed the world had to be saved every Saturday back then. 

Yet despite her enjoyment of the quiet life, even Liz could grow a little restless. As much as she liked her work at Cambridge, it wasn’t exactly exciting; so when her friends invited her to join their holiday in Blackpool, she jumped at the chance. It had been good fun at first; they spent the first few days relaxing in their swanky hotel room, enjoying the luxuries of room service and ridiculously comfortable sofas. Eventually the inevitable happened - they went to the Pleasure Beach.

Liz had never been one for amusement parks, but she went along for the fun of it. After all, she wasn’t sure she’d get another chance. In the end, she enjoyed the day out immensely. That was, until her friends vanished into thin air.

She’d scoured the whole place twice by the time the sun had set. Surely they would’ve told her if they’d gone back to the hotel? Abandoning her search, she’d returned to find their rooms completely empty. At this point, Liz was starting to worry. But she felt the best course of action was to stay calm - they’d turn up eventually, wouldn’t they?

They didn’t. And, judging from the next morning's newspaper headline, it seemed that Liz’s friends weren’t the only ones who had vanished.

If it weren’t for Liz’s past employment, she would have left the investigation up to the police. But something about these disappearances felt different. These were no run of the mill vanishings, and Liz couldn’t help but feel something alien about the whole thing. She had entertained the notion that it was just her time at UNIT making her paranoid, but eventually the suspicion grew too large to ignore.

It seemed that she’d have to be the one to look into it. After all, if you wanted something done right, you did it yourself. However, as she ate her breakfast by the window the next morning, she spotted something that all but confirmed her suspicions of alien activity: a UNIT jeep was parked near the beach. The sight of it was almost a relief. If UNIT was getting involved, then she’d have her friends back by the end of the week at least. 

Then a thought crossed her mind. How could they know? What could’ve possibly set them off to the fact that there was alien activity on the Blackpool Pleasure Beach? Liz’s attention had only been aroused simply because she was there - last time she checked, UNIT didn’t have a Blackpool division. She supposed there was only one way to find out.

It was time to get reacquainted with the United Nations Intelligence Taskforce. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Be sure to let me know what you thought in a comment :)


End file.
